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(WWJ) Detroit Police Chief James Craig says 44 protesters, including 28 who are not Detroit residents, were arrested by officers in riot gear during a confrontation over the weekend.
The chief says at least eight commands to disperse were given to the group Detroit Will Breathe, who'd had blocked off a section of Woodward Ave. downtown, before police deployed tear gas and surged into the crowd.
"I am not going to let any group set up a Seattle zone of lawlessness here in the city of Detroit," Craig told reporters at a news conference Monday. "That is non-negotiable."
Craig said more than half of those taken custody early Sunday morning were from the suburbs and elsewhere, including from Rochester Hills, Clinton Township, Lincoln Park, Shelby Township, East Lansing. Ann Arbor and Farmington Hills. One person was from California.
"We understand the pain of the murder of George Floyd," Craig said. "At this point this is not about George Floyd. This is individuals who have an agenda that is largely not supported by Detroiters, because the vast majority of the people who attend these protests are from outside the city."
The weekend's demonstration called for an end to a Trump Administration program to deploy federal law enforcement officers to help quell surging violence in the city.
Detroit Will Breathe posted on its Facebook page: “Detroit Will Breathe is occupying the intersection of Woodward and John R to demand the immediate end of Operation Legend and the withdrawal of federal agents sent to Detroit by the Trump Administration to criminalize and terrorize Black and Brown communities. We aren’t leaving until the feds leave."
Craig said many "peaceful protesters" left the rally when they learned of the group's intent.
Nakia Wallace, who was one of the 44 arrested, said these law enforcement tactics will not bring an end to violence in Detroit.
"What's not gonna stop it is them being more militarized," Wallace said. "What's not gonna stop it is federal agents coming in to help them get away with terrorizing our communities; that's not gonna solve the issue. If it could've solved the issue it would've solved it years ago."
As far as whether Craig believes any of his officers used excessive force during the confrontation, that remains to be seen.
The chief said three investigations are underway into the actions of some of the officers who were involved.
Meanwhile, Detroit Will Breathe — which has called for Craig's resignation following several recent police shootings in Detroit in recent weeks — is expected to hold a meeting on police brutality at Clark park Monday evening.
This all comes as the shooting of an apparently unarmed black man by police in Wisconsin has inflamed passions still roiling the nation in the weeks after the killing of George Floyd in Minniapolis. Cell phone video shows Jacob Blake, 29, was shot in the back by an officers as he leaned into his SUV, while it's reported his children sat in the vehicle.